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We’ll return to the 1921 ILI canal motor ships part D in a later post, but for now, the 1935 Kermic was one of seven diesel motor ships designed to maximize the size of the Champlain/Chambly International Waterway, with size restriction dictated not by the Barge Canal locks, but even smaller, the Chambly locks. As such, these seven vessels all had the dimensions of 106′ x 22′. She was considered a coaster, or un caboteur. More caboteurs along with their particulars, including this as IV No. 14, can be found here.
Their principal cargo was rolls of newsprint transported between the pulp mills in Quebec and the presses in New York City. With a crew of four, many from the Lotbinière area on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence upstream of Quebec City, they had an average transit time of 2.5 days with 225 tons of cargo, usually composed of 300 rolls of newsprint at 1500 pounds each. Much more info on these newsprint carriers can be found here, an article that was informed in part by a tugster post from 2010 here. As of November 2021, this vessel was still on the hard in Lotbinière after an ill-fated attempt to turn her into a restaurant.
For more on the pulp and paper trade between Canada and the US, here’s a great little reference. The fact that the photo on the cover below is Chicago Tribune and others in the book have names like New York News and Washington Times says it all.
While we’re on Canadian commercial vessels in the New York canals, the photo below didn’t make sense until I started thinking about Quebec: M. Robidoux is clearly French, and with a search I found she was earlier named Katchiwano, built in Peterborough ON in 1932, a wooden tug with dimensions of 50′ x 13. A Peterborough-build means she accessed the NY canals via the Trent-Severn Waterway.
She was M. Robidoux from 1951 to 1963, which nicely dates this photo. I’m not sure of the location, but this too could be on the Champlain Canal. Her last registry was in Cap Chat QC on the Saint Lawrence. Better lighting on this photo would be desirable. The ship’s bell configuration is unique.
This might be a good place to throw in this mystery vessel, for which I have no clues.
All photos used with permission from the Canal Society of New York.
Thanks to Bob Mattsson for lightening the photo of M. Robidoux.
Many thanks to Sandy Berg and SkEye Stream for the photo below, drone assisted in Kingston ON. In the foreground is Group Ocean’s Escorte, a 1967 Jakobson of Oyster Bay product, first launched as Menasha (YTB-773/YTM-761) for the U.S. Navy. Off Escorte‘s stern it’s Sheri Lynn S, a Lake Ontario tug seen here.
Next, let’s go SW from Kingston to Picton, where CSL Assiniboine is discharging slag, a steel furnace byproduct with multiple uses. Now if you’ve never seen the inside of a self-unloading ship’s hold, here are photos of one such arrangement, thanks to Picton Terminals.
Since the photo above shows only a bit of deck and the boom, here’s a photo I took in winter 2019 of CSL Assiniboine,
and two more I took in September 2019 in
the South Shore Canal section of the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
Now let’s get back to Picton Terminals. Sometimes a land machine gets lifted into the hold to assist. Balder back in 2013 brought Atacama Desert salt to Staten Island as a “road safety product” and she carried such a machine permanently in her belly.
Whatever the angle of repose for slag, it was just not slumping here. Making it slump to feed into the self-unloading gates at the bottom of the hold
can be tricky.
Now to move to another continent, Weeks tug Thomas here heads out of Rotterdam last week for Ascension Island. Now THAT is a long voyage, about 4000 nautical miles, a two-week voyage at 10 knots.
Thomas is pulling barge NP 476 loaded with various pieces of equipment, including a Eurocarrier 2110, a multipurpose vessel.
Next down to Gulf coastal waters and some photos I received an embarrassingly long time ago . . . sorry, stuff gets lost in the shuffle . . . it’s Heide Moran with barge Carolina.
Heide is now Dann Ocean’s Helen, and I’ve not seen her in the sixth boro.
Also from eastriver, another tugboat I’ve not yet seen . . . the 10,000+ hp Ocean Wave.
Ocean Wave is one of four Crowley vessels of this class; the others are Ocean Sun, Sky, and Wind. If you look closely at the photo above, a crewman off the port side of the wheelhouse is providing an ocean–or at least–a waterway wave.
Many thanks to Sandy Berg, SkEye Stream, Picton Terminals, Jan vander Doe, Ruud Zegwaard, and eastriver. I have lots more photos that you’ve sent. If I don’t immediately post, it’s because I’m trying to best position them, and that’s what leads me sometimes to lose sight, aka forget.
If you’re looking for something LONG to read, today is August 2, and that was the date 31 years ago that Iraqi forces overran Kuwait, where I was working. This account is an attempt to document my late summer/fall of 1990, the strangest months of my life. I have a more refined version, a pandemic project of revision, that I can send you if you want the latest iteration.
Four years ago, I saw Alder in Duluth, where she had worked since her launch in Lake Michigan in 2004. Believe it or not, I appear NOT to have taken photos of her, as unlikely as that seems. In 2005, Alder replaced the 1944 Sundew, which is still in Duluth, now as a private vessel. I was in Duluth after an interesting ride up from Milwaukee, but I appear not to have been in a mood to take photos of USCG vessels.
Alder is no longer in Duluth; earlier this month she traveled out of the Great Lakes. Jack Ronalds got these photos from Strait of Canso. Here she arrives from the north and heads for the lock, which is Seawaymax size. The pilot boat Strait Falcon makes the pilot exchange.
USCG in foreign territory . . . Click here for the other Juniper-class cutters, of which Alder is the last.
Here‘s a story about one of the pilots in the Strait area.
Getting back to Alder, might this be a tad hubristic?
From here, Alder headed to Baltimore by way of Boston. I’d held off posting this because I though she might pass through the sixth boro, but . . . I’ve read that after rehabbing, she heads to new duty in Hawaii. I wonder who’s replacing her in Duluth.
Many thanks to Jack for use of these photos, and for seeing an eye on the Strait.
Many thanks to Trucker Tim Powell for sending along these photos taken in Superior WI back in May 2008. She was launched in 1944 as ST 7067, later transferred to the USACE. Given the timing, Forney had already changed owners and would soon be painted in Heritage Marine’s gold livery, and renamed Edward H.
She looked quite good in USACE livery.
She’s still ST 707 gray inside.
I believe Forney, now Edward H, has been repowered, so this Enterprise DMG-38 engine is likely no longer in the boat. Does anyone know what she currently has for power, and what became of the Enterprise engine?
It turns out I saw Edward H from the air back in June 2017, although I was unable to identify her (I believe from bottom to top here we have Edward, Helen, and Nels.)
Here’s a similar shot from the other direction. More of this flight I posted here. The pilot had all the skills.
From Ingrid Staats . . . the most famous tugboat, Theodore Two, at least the most famous tugboat that isn’t really a tug boat. Bowsprite caught this famous non-tug here in the sixth boro, a decade ago. Ingrid took these photos in Toronto very recently.
Theodore Two has made quite a few meet-greet stops along its month-long journey from Halifax to Hamilton, salt to fresh water. Notice the bark canoe as tender?
Photos I saw from various Canadian stops (The pandemic prevented her from calling at US stops along the way.) show as many folks coming to meet-greet as used to appear whenever Urger stopped at towns along the Erie Canal.
From eastriver, enter the The Black Belt along the lower Mississippi.
And finally . . . a research question from Eric Wiberg: where is 1945 Bushey tug Chaplain? See text below for more info. Eric has even more info.
Many thanks to Tim, Ingrid, eastriver, and Eric for these photos.
From Eric: “This tug was at the last U-boat attack ever and is believed afloat in US or Bahamas. In May of 1945 a tug named CHAPLAIN crewed by Louis Alfred Coley, Jr. and others was used by U-853 under Oberleutnant zur See Helmut Frömsdorf of Germany as a disguise to hide under and sink the US merchant ship BLACK POINT, off Point Judith, RI, with the loss of 12 US sailors and naval gunners. Because the tug crew carried on towards New York with a light scow, history missed her, until 2018 and Capt. Colley described the events days before his death. Now, a Bahamian / US maritime historian is seeking anyone has any information on this tugboat, completed in Brooklyn NY in early 1945 by Ira S. Bushey & Sons, steam-powered with a Fairbanks-Morse engine of 1,000 horsepower.
Owned by Red Star Companies and Spentonbush Fuel Transport Service; Bushey affiliates. Sold to Farrell Ocean Services, then McKie Marine Co., and Russell Tripp (Bay State Towing Co.), retaining name CHAPLAIN in all three sales. Russell Tripp sold her to Constellation Tug Co. of Beverly and Boston, MA, who renamed her CARINA. She was sold to a company in the Bahamas in 2005 as CARINA. Names: CARINA believed to be in Bahamas 2009-present, owned by Kermitt Waters, Liberty Oil & Gas exploration, Las Vegas, NV and West Palm Beach, FL, aggregate trades Arawak Cay Nassau. Ex-OCEAN KING, Jeffries Point East Boston, Jan. 1951 to July 2004, ex-MARGARET SHERIDAN (New York), Jan. 1946 to Jan. 1951, ex-CHAPLAIN (New York) early 1945- Jan. 1946. Specs: IMO: 5260382, GRT: 179, LOA: 95’ X beam of 25.25’. The author is from Bahamas and has been scouring the waterfronts there since c.2015 to no avail and have contacted Liberty Oil & aggregate traders there to no avail. It is possible she has changed names again. Believed to still be US-flagged, she is probably in northern Bahamas or Caribbean, east Florida or US Gulf.”
She may have been renamed.
The water and its edges are good places to see birds; that’s the origin of this series.
The next six photos were taken in August 1997, almost 25 years ago. I post them now because I recently learned some new info, which pertains to the gentleman in brown (driving the boat and bearded and sunglasses) and his father, carrying the umbrella and US flag in the next photo, who claimed to own the island where we landed. Look at the photo and get a sense of where I might have been that day back in August 1997.
The building to the left is a lighthouse. The anchored boat above and the flag are clues. Where is this?
Yup, that’s me in a dark blind peering through an opening at . . .
puffins,
literally thousands of puffins. In those days I had a film camera, as did everyone, with very little if any zoom. I say that to underscore the fact that the puffins were on the rocks just beyond the blind. More on this place and my guides at the end of this post.
If you do FB, you may have seen this photo before, a young Cooper’s hawk. I took the photo on Long Island. Yes, it was tormenting a backyard bird feeder, which is how I saw it after it buzzed the feeder at speeds I’d seen no other bird flying.
Recently along the KVK, this heron landed quite close to me. It may have confused my cold, motionless form for driftwood along the shore there. Note the black crown and head plumes.
The specialized chest feathers seem almost like a cape here.
After several minutes of sitting near me, it raised its wings
and flew over to the Bayonne side… for better prey on the other side of the river, I suppose.
So here’s the puffin story. The boat was then called Chief. The owners stressed that it’d never been fished, and it was the conveyance by a puffin tour operated out of Jonesport ME by the Norton family–Barna with the beflagged umbrella and his son John driving the tender. The island is Machias Seal Island, a disputed “grey zone” US or Canadian territory. When I took the trip, Barna Norton, then 82 years old, said with utmost confidence that he owned the island, having inherited it by virtue of having been the first descendant of lobsterman “big” Barney Beal to bear his name. John, Barna’s son, was mostly quiet on the trip, leaving his long-winded but fascinating father to tell all the tales . . the helicopter incident, the dead terns, his 6’7″ namesake, and more. If you never read links on this blog, you must read this one . . . with the title of “The Man who went to war with Canada,” that man being Barna Norton.
A story not in the linked article that I remember relates to Barna’s son, John, again told by Barna. A border enforcer against all comers, John was noted in the USCG days in Alaska as having boarded a Russian fishing trawler at gunpoint to inform the captain of that vessel that they had been fishing in undisputed US waters.
All photos, WVD, who can’t vouch that tours on the island now via Barbara Frost, which might be Chief under new ownership, would be a Barna value-added added puffin tour, but the puffins (and their chainsaw-like sounds in a rookery) are a real treat. That link has a recording of one; imagine about 3000 puffins making that sound simultaneously.
Ontario here means the province and the lake. In the NE corner of the lake lies Picton and Picton Terminals, homeport of a tug called Sheri Lynn S. Well, Sheri Lynn S just got a big sister, and one place to start the story is in UAE, Sharjah a few months back . . . in August.
Captain Tjalling van der Zee, of van der Zee Marine Services was engaged to deliver the new tug Amy Lynn D or ALD, a Damen 3209 Shoalbuster, the 9414 nm from UAE to Lake Ontario. Capt. van der Zee shared most of these photos. Here is more Damen Shoalbuster info. The first part of the voyage mostly circumnavigated the Arabian peninsula. Having lived there for three years, I can imagine the heat topping at least 100 F.
Part of the voyage transited areas of “unrest” and armed guards were on board for any annoyances, but these folks were just fishing. Jeddah was passed on October 17.
This is a view from the wheelhouse northbound in the Suez Canal around October 20. Pilots were required. Any guesses on the total number of pilots taken on this 9400+ nm trip? Answer follows.
ALD passed Sicily on October 26 . . . . it had traveled light until Algeciras SP, where a barge Jacob Joseph C carrying three Damen tugs was met. The small tugs were to be delivered to Halifax and Montreal.
This is the view of the barge from ALD after traveling offshore following the Great Circle.
Azores Ponta Delgada was seen on November 14. By the way, any idea of crew number? How about daily fuel consumption? All answers to follow.
An ingenious “selfie” was managed, albeit with an unsatisfactory camera, when instruments showed ALD and tow crossing fairly near an eastbound ship.
Big seas were part of the experience.
The tow arrived in Halifax on December 6. Mac Mackay documented the safe arrival here. Thx, Mac.
Two of the small tugs, both Damen Stan 1205 class, were offloaded in Halifax.
The remaining tug arrived in Montreal, where
it was discharged.
To enter the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Jacob George C was put on the nose and
I’m not sure who took this photo, but I borrowed it from the Picton Terminals FB page. It shows the tug and barge easing into a SLSW lock.
On the last morning, Nathan Jarvis, working on Robinson Bay, took this of the homestretch as ALD and JJC passed Clayton NY.
And finally . . . ALD and Jacob Joseph C tie up at Picton Terminals.
Many thanks to Picton Terminals and Capt. van der Zee for use of photos and time. Any errors are mine.
Some answers, 25 pilots, 6 crew (1 Dutch/South African and 5 Filipino), and approximately 1200 gallons of fuel daily. Last but not least . . . 82 nights on the boat.
Guess the usage?
Avalon Sea is an AHTS vessel of the sort I’ve not seen call in the sixth boro. Any guesses on usage, age, and dimensions of the unit?
If it reminds you of the various semi-submersible vessels that’ve called here, great, because that’s what Boabarge 37 is. It measures 499′ x 125′ with a draft of 30′. She’s on long-term lease to the Irving Shipyard in Halifax. Avalon Sea is one of seven vessels operating for Secunda Canada, self-described as “a harsh weather fleet vessels serving Canada’s offshore gas and oil projects.” Avalon Sea measures in at 300’x 66′ and propelled by 15,500 hp. To see how Irving Shipyard uses Boabarge 37, check this out.
Point Chebucto is based in the Strait of Canso, but out behind her are two transients:
Behind her are Bylgia, a Heerema tug measuring 236′ x 59′ with 202 tons bollard pull, and Maersk Mobiliser, launched in late fall 2018 and 311′ x 82′ and currently tending craneship Thialf out by Sable island.
Here Bylgia is hooking up to 400′ x 125′ cargo barge H-407. For specifics on Heerema equipment, click here.
All photos thanks to Jack Ronalds. As I’ve said before, if you want to see some of them right now, click here for his Marine Traffic snaps and here for his general photos, not limited to maritime shots. The connection between the Strait of Canso and NYC’s sixth boro was highlighted in this post from a few days ago.
You saw a different version of this photo last week, NS Leader being assisted into Bayway. This begs the question . . . from where did NS Leader come? Where did it take on the cargo discharged at Bayway?
The answer for NS Leader and lots more crude tankers is Point Tupper NS, where there’s a NuStar Terminal. Maybe you’ve seen that on AIS.
Sailing a tanker from there looks a lot like here, although the Strait of Canso is quite a bit deeper than the Kills. That’s Eagle Varna, a VLCC, at the dock. Smaller Eagle tankers (AET) used to call in the sixth boro, as in here and here, although I don’t recall seeing them recently.
Here Point Chebucto and Point Valiant assist Suezmax tanker Eagle San Antonio.
Here London Spirit departs the dock
with Point Chebucto and Svitzer Montreal to port and Svitzer Bedford to starboard. NYK “Spirit” tankers used to call regularly in the sixth boro as in here, here and here, and maybe they still do.
Stena Weco tankers call in the sixth boro frequently as well: Stena Concert, Stena Contest . . . come to mind.
Here Switzer Bedford and Point Chebucto assist Stena Conquest
out to sea via the Strait. Svitzer Canada is a towing branch of Maersk with a network of hundreds of boats.
Many thanks to Jack Ronalds for these photos. More of Jack’s photos soon. If you want to see some of them right now, click here for his Marine Traffic snaps and here for his general photos, not limited to maritime shots.
Once US citizens are again welcome in Canada, I hope to make many trips, including one up his way.
Where was Doornekamp’s Sheri Lynn S heading?
Downstream on the St. Lawrence to assist USS St. Louis, LCS-19, as she was making a port stop in Ogdensburg NY.
Also assisting was Océan Serge Genois.
If this USN press release is current and accurate, other LCSs expected to exit the Great Lakes this year include USS Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS-21), USS Kansas City (LCS-22), USS Oakland (LCS-24) and USS Mobile (LCS -6).
Now as seen from the US side of the River, standard procedure boom was deployed around the LCS by a workboat provided by Seaway Marine Group. More of this scene is captured in this article/photo from the Watertown Daily Times NNY360.
Once the LCS was boomed, the Seaway Marine boat patroled the exclusion zone.
Fifteen or so miles downstream from Ogdensburg, the Océan tug guides the LCS into the Iroquois locks.
All these photos from the Canadian side are compliments of Pat English, who posted a video on FB Seaway News Voie Maritime Info of the Ocean tug rocking back and forth to keep the LCS centered in the lock chamber. All photos from the US side are compliments of Jake Van Reenen.
Again, many thanks to Pat and Jake for use of these photos.
Previous tugster posts with LCS vessels can be found here. Previous posts at Iroquois lock are here.
I was doing maintenance in the photo archives yesterday and took a second look at some photos from Damen and from Picton Terminals. Since I know that Sheri Lynn S (SLS) arrived in Canada in Montreal in late fall, this has to be a photo of it being loaded onto the ship in Shanghai after traveling via the Yangtze from the shipyard in Changde, Hunan in China. Given that, the tugs in the background could now be scattered all over the world.
This photo shows the boat being secured to the deck,again in Shanghai.
After the ocean voyage between the photo above, SLS arrives in a port at the end of her voyage, and that port has to be
Montreal, given the blue tugboat here, Ocean Georgie Bain.
And now for a few photos from her current habitat on the NE corner of Lake Ontario, SLS breaks ice, sometimes . . .
enabling the cement ship to dock.
In fact, this time of year, ice breaking is her main activity.
Many thanks to Damen and Picton Terminals for these photos.
tugster: a waterblog 
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